Idea that consumption triggers mental illness ‘junk science’
Usually when we think of the effects caffeine has on the body we think about jitters, shaky hands and hyperactive children. The normal physical effects that caffeine has on the body include increased heart rate, stimulated nervous system and inability to sleep. But could that Starbucks coffee you drink before work or that Red Bull you chug to power through the rest of your day be evidence for an insanity plea?
In recent years, a number of cases have surfaced in which the defense has argued that caffeine intoxication is reasonable evidence for an insanity plea.
Difficult to prove and tricky to identify, caffeine intoxication is just another fabricated defense rather than a credible medical issue.
On a December morning in 2009, Daniel Noble hit two college students with his car and then fled the scene — right after chugging two 16-ounce double-shot drinks from Starbucks. The usually straight-edge Noble was hospitalized for three months. Tests showed coffee had triggered a rare form of bipolar disorder, which caused the judges to dismiss the charges against him.
In another case, a Kentucky man argued caffeine and sleep deprivation had caused him to make a false confession to strangling his wife with an extension cord. He used having too many caffeinated soft drinks and energy drinks as his temporary insanity defense.
Stephen Coffeen contends he was insane when he allegedly suffocated his father and that too many Red Bulls were partially to blame.
But how reliable is this defense? In a generation where college students consume ample amounts of energy drinks while studying and hard-working professionals guzzle pots of coffee while working overtime, does this mean we are all at risk for committing violent crimes?
According to ABAJournal, UCLA criminal law professor Peter Arenella calls the idea that caffeine can trigger mental illness “junk science.”
However, the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — the manual used by mental health doctors — lists caffeine intoxication as a real disorder. Symptoms can include: nervousness, insomnia, muscle twitching, and rambling thoughts and speech.
While large amounts of caffeine can undoubtedly leave a person feeling frenzied and agitated, is it enough to defend a crime?
Even though caffeine is a stimulant and can have negative effects on a person’s body, it does not impair judgement to the extent that it would be a plausible defense in court.
If a person hyped up on Monster energy drinks willingly commits a crime, he or she cannot expect a jury or anyone with common sense to believe the caffeine made him or her murder someone.
Setting the precedent of allowing criminals to plead temporary insanity due to caffeine intoxication will open the door to a slippery slope of excuses and confusion in the courtroom. It will blur the lines between coffee lovers and killers.
For those who are unsure about the effects caffeine may have and feel that caffeine is a trigger for violence . . . there is always decaf.
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